La Voilee
by LilMissMoonRay
Summary: Harry grew up on the streets, learning any skills he could to survive, until eventually he became known as La Voilee- an unknown enigma that sets fear into the hearts of anyone who gets in his way and the very man that Dumbledore wishes to hire…FS inside
1. Capture

**SEE AUTHORS NOTE AT THE BOTTOM**

**WARNINGS: **Possible dark images, AU, possible OOC-ness, Possible dark situations, Swearing, mentions of drugs (no actual taking, just names), mentions of alcohol, Powerful!Harry

**RATING: **M (as a precaution only and due to possible dark images.)

**SUMMARY: **Harry Potter disappeared when he was just 5 years old. Now, when the second war is starting up in earnest, Dumbledore is desperate to find the Boy-Who-Lived, going so far as to seek underground connections to hire the perfect man for the task. What he doesn't know is that Harry grew up on the streets, learning any skills he could to survive, until eventually he became known as _La Voilee_- an unknown enigma that sets fear into the hearts of anyone who gets in his way and the very man that Dumbledore wishes to hire… Powerful!Harry.

**ADDITIONAL NOTE: **Mundungus' speech is not written in proper English. Just read it as it's spelt and sounds and you should get the jist. Any problems, let me know.

**DISCLAIMER: **Anything recognizable either belongs to J.K Rowling, or is otherwise a huge coincidence. The only thing I own is the idea of the plot line and a pair of orange scissors.

**LISTENING TO: **Ice Ice Baby- Glee version (originally by Vanilla Ice (You all know the song- '…ice ice baby….'))

**LVLVLVLVLVLV**

Albus Dumbledore rubbed his hands over his weary face before looking up at the people who were currently sat at the kitchen table at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. The Order of the Phoenix members had just finished giving their various reports of Death Eater activities to one another and had been debating about the best cause of action. Normally, Dumbledore would have the final say on all matters and would delegate tasks to the members, but tonight his mind was more preoccupied than normal as all of his thoughts revolved around one person: Harry Potter.

The name always seemed to make Albus sag a little in his seat. The overwhelming guilt he felt whenever he thought of the boy seemed like barbed wire curling around his heart, slowly squeezing him to a painful death. Such emotion had a visible effect on the old wizard and it worried a great many of people.

Around 15 years ago, Lord Voldemort, the evilest wizard in a century, had headed to the Potter Cottage in Godric's Hollow with one intention; to kill Harry Potter. Unfortunately (for the Dark wizard), he was unsuccessful as his Killing curse rebounded off the baby boy and had struck him instead. The wizarding world had rejoiced at the death of Lord Voldemort and the newly orphaned Harry Potter was dubbed as the Boy-Who-Lived. Young Harry was then said to have been taken away to live with relatives and the only one who knew where he lived was Albus Dumbledore.

Albus had indeed sent Harry to live with his Aunt Petunia, to be protected by blood wards and to grow up away from the fame that came with his name. He had hoped that he would live a happy life until he was ready to rejoin the wizarding world to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the age of 11.

Things, however, did not go according to plan.

When the acceptance letter that had been sent to Harry Potter returned unanswered and unopened, Albus had been a little concerned. He had sent another, and another, and another, but they all came back the same. After the 60th attempt to get in contact with Harry had not worked, Dumbledore had decided to pay a visit to number 4, Privet Drive.

Expecting to find a happy healthy boy who had somehow been unreachable, Albus was surprised to find a bitter woman who had slammed the door in his face with no explanation other than a simple sentence.

Harry Potter was gone.

A frantic search had started, but nobody could find a trace of the boy. People eventually stopped looking, except for Dumbledore and his Order, (once it had been reformed with the Dark Lord's return).

Every meeting they had had in the past year or so went the same way; Dumbledore would greet them all in the kitchen of escaped convict Sirius Black's house; they would all eat a meal that had been cooked by Molly Weasley, give their reports, and finally Dumbledore would ask if anybody had any leads on the whereabouts of the Boy-Who-Lived.

Tonight was no exception.

"Does anyone have any new leads?" The old Headmaster asked in a tired voice. Silence reined for a few moments before Arthur Weasley answered for everyone.

"I'm afraid not, Albus. No one has found anything." The answer was the same every night and half of the members were no longer bothering to keep an eye and ear open for possible news- it seemed like such a useless task that wasn't worth doing, and if it was, it was done half heartedly.

Albus Dumbledore heaved a sigh of sadness.

"Albus," Molly Weasley ventured quietly and hesitantly. "How do we even know that the boy is alive? I mean, its been over 5 years, maybe even longer." Some of the Order members nodded their heads in agreement.

"There is a trinket in my office, my dear, that is connected to Harry Potter's life force. If he had died, it would have shown something. Since it has not, then I have to assume that he is still alive."

"But how does some 'trinket' let us know that, exactly?" One of the Auror's, Tonk's, asked him.

"Nymphadora," He answered and the young woman scowled at the use of her first name. "The magic behind such an object is very complex and I must confess that even I do not fully understand it. All I know for sure about it is that Harry is still alive."

"But we cannot find him." Sirius Black grounded out between clenched teeth. A few people shot him wary looks, especially when they saw his hands tighten into fists. "Maybe we should stop looking. I don't want to face the disappointment each time you ask that infernal question. It hurts too much." The last sentence was said in a heartbroken whisper as he looked down at the table. Remus Lupin, his old friend, placed a hand on his shoulder in comfort.

Severus Snape snorted in contempt. "We should have stopped searching ages ago. The little brat obviously couldn't handle not being pampered like a prince and left. I say we leave him the ungrateful boy to it." The comforting hand on Sirius' shoulder became a restraining one as he went to lunge at the greasy haired man.

"Severus," Albus reprimanded. "We do not know what happened or how Harry came to be missing, you know that." He fixed the younger man with a stern expression that got no response, so he decided to change the topic slightly. "Is there any news on the disappearance of Lucius Malfoy?" Snape frowned.

"No. Even the Dark Lord cannot find out where he went. All we know is that he went to gain a possible recruit about 3 months ago- a surprise he had for the Dark Lord- and he never came back. People have searched and his family haven't seen him."

Some people frowned around the table and silence descended once again like a thick fog as they contemplated the latest mystery. Mundungus Fletcher absentmindedly pulled out his magical pipe and ignited it with his wand, causing green, snake like wisps to unfurl from its end.

"Mundungus! What have I told you about that pipe!" Molly scolded as she glared at the thief.

"Sorry, Molly. Din't even notice. I was thinking." He mumbled as he put it out.

"You best hadn't have been thinking about another business deal! We don't need anymore of your dodgy stuff!"

Mundungus sat up indignantly as he set his cast his bloodshot eyes on the matriarch. "They ain't dodgy! 'Sides, want nowt to do with 'at, was about 'Arry."

Everyone's gaze snapped to the petty thief. Dumbledore sat up straighter in his chair and gazed impenetrably at him.

"Please elaborate, Mundungus." He ordered. Mundungus pulled out his pipe again in what seemed to be a superior way. Molly just glared at him, but didn't say anything as she wanted to hear what he had to say- something that none of the members thought they would ever want to do.

"Well, there's bin a few… rumours going 'round the streets," He started as he sat back in his chair and sucked on the end of his pipe as he tried to remember. "Summat 'bout this guy who'll find people for you. Folks know 'im as _La Voilee._"

Some people exchanged confused looks until Fleur, a new recruit, spoke up.

"Ze Veiled?" She asked in her accented English.

"'Parently." The crook shrugged.

"But what does that mean?" Emmeline Vance asked impatiently. "How does this guy find people?"

"Well, 'e jus' finds 'em, dun't 'e." He explained in an exasperated tone. "I dunno 'ow! The people who normally hire 'im need to get someone offa their back. So 'e goes and finds 'em and digs 'round in their business, their past and stuff. Looks for things they wudn't want people to know. 'E normally breaks a few laws an' pisses a few of 'em off, but 'e ain't ever bin caught."

"What? Never?" Remus interrupted. His eyebrows were raised in surprise.

"Nope. People 'ave tried, police, henchmen an' the rest. 'E jus' disappears. No one even really knows what 'e looks like, 'cept the people 'e works for."

"What people?" Moody bear-like voice barked out. His gaze had never once shifted from Mundungus- even his magical eye was fixed on the dirty man.

"Dunno. Some gang lord or summat."

The people around the table looked at one another and muttered to themselves. Some of them looked at Dumbledore, who hadn't once wavered his gaze and had now steepled his fingers under his chin. With the way his eyes narrowed slightly, Sirius thought he looked like a gang lord himself, and half expected him to start stroking a cat minion that would lie across his lap.

"Mundungus, would it be possible for you to make contact with _La Voilee_?" Dumbledore asked in a quiet tone. Everyone had stopped talking and were now watching the two closely. They were all apprehensive and nervous; this was the most progress they had made in months and it made a change from their usual headless-chicken routine.

Mundungus sucked thoughtfully on his pipe, making a cloud of green smoke fill the kitchen. A few people coughed as he talked around the pipe.

"It'd be difficult an' might take some time." He warned.

"But you could make contact?" Dumbledore pressed. Mundungus nodded in reply.

"Good. That's your mission and it is to be your only priority." The Headmaster said severely as he levelled one more stern gaze with the small man who nodded in understanding, his basset like eyes holding a shifty look. "Contact us when you find him. We'll meet again when that happens. Goodnight, everyone."

**LVLVLVLVLVLV**

Mundungus scurried quickly down a dank, dark alley that was somewhere outside the main parts of London. He had been visiting old friends and pulling in old favours to get the information he needed, and finally it seemed he was nearly at his goal.

He had mainly been vague about who he was looking for, merely stating that his boss needed to know the whereabouts of some runaway who owed him a debt. Most of the thieves he talked to were quick to answer his questions, having been on the wrong side of Mundungus before. Most of the information he got was useless and he would be paying those people another visit. Being a thief didn't mean he couldn't put fear into people; after all, he had been sorted into Slytherin and having someone dread the sight of your face normally meant that you got what you wanted quicker.

But finally, after weeks of scrounging for information, Mundungus had something concrete to go on.

He ducked into the shadow of a doorway and looked at both ends of the alley for any followers before he rapped quickly on the door. He cast another look around as he heard the deadbolt scrape open, before slipping quietly inside.

The room he found himself in had nothing inside apart from a worn out, round table and a few rickety chairs. The floorboards were dingy and the wallpaper was peeling off the walls. A constant haze of cigarette smoke seemed to settle in the air, making it hard to see.

"What brings you here, Dung? Haven't seen you in a while." A man in the corner drawled as he lit the cigarette that he put in his mouth.

"Gavin." He greeted as he looked at his old 'friend'. The man had shoulder length, brown hair that could do with a good wash and the sunken in features that drug addicts had, giving him the look of a washed-out rock star. He pulled the cigarette out of his mouth and grinned a yellow-toothed grin. "I need your 'elp finding someone."

"Oh. Who?" Gavin asked, a slight tone of surprise in his voice. Normally, he was the one who went to Mundungus, not the other way around. The ask for help immediately set him on high alert in case Mundungus had orders to do something to him. After all, he could be leading him into a false sense of security- it had happened to him before, and it damn well could happen again.

"Yeah. Me boss needs to find someone who's unwilling to settle a debt. We need someone to find 'im an' get some… leverage, shall we say." He hinted as he raised an eyebrow at the other man. Gavin regarded Mundungus as he took a drag of his cigarette and leaned against one of the walls. He moved his jaw around for a moment as he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, before slowly blowing the smoke out of his mouth. He nodded knowingly once at Mundungus and pointed his cigarette holding fingers to him as he spoke.

"You're looking for _La Voilee_." It was a statement, not a question. Mundungus did the best he could to keep the shock from showing on his face, but apparently he had not succeeded as Gavin grinned another toothy smile that gave Mundungus the impression of a predatory shark.

"Yeah. 'E's the one we're looking for."

Gavin nodded, took another drag, then spoke around his inhale. "Yeah. I know him." He answered in a strained tone, before he blew out another mouthful of grey smoke. "Works for Tony Leandro, same as me."

Mundungus raised an eyebrow in acknowledgment. "I see. I need you to set up a meetin' for me."

"No can do." Gavin shook his head as he put out his cigarette on the brittle grain of the table; the wood sizzled and a few wisps of smoke unfurled from the surface.

"Why not?"

"I don't make those kinda shots. I can put in a word for you, but that's about it."

Mundungus nodded once before straightening his filthy jacket and moving back towards the door.

"Don't come here again." Gavin warned with a forceful tone. Dung looked over his shoulder at him and raised a bushy eyebrow in question. "I'll be moved to another district after this. Just 'ang around for a few days. Don't try and contact me or anyone. If _La Voilee_ wishes to talk to you, he'll make contact. Not the other way around." Gavin had stepped up beside him and the man made his nostrils cringe at the smell of musty sweat, nicotine and what he thought was marijuana.

"Right. Cheers for this, Gav. I owe you." He answered as the man opened the door and he slipped back outside.

"Yeah. You do."

And with that, the stained door was slammed back into place, the only sound in the alley being the sound of a deadbolt being slid back into place.

**LVLVLVLVLVLV**

It had been three days since he had met up with Gavin and Mundungus was nearly out of patience. He sat huddled in an alcove in yet another alley, cold, slightly wet and hungry as a light drizzle rained down from above. He grumbled a little as he pulled his jacket closer to him, aware that he hadn't bathed in more than a week making him smell like the inside of an old wheelie bin.

When Dumbledore had said that his mission was to find _La Voilee_, he had known it would be difficult but he did not expect to be living rough for going on a month. He missed his home comforts as he wasn't even allowed to return back to his small (and admittedly grimy) flat in case someone followed him, or he would be out of contact. He wasn't skilled enough with a patronous to make contact with the Order and no one had tried to make contact with him.

'_Bleedin' typical_', he grumbled in his head. '_I'm the one on the all-important mission an' no one can be bothered to check if I'm still alive. For all they know, I could be dead in a ditch somewhere!_'

He was pulled out of his piteous thoughts by the ringing of the nearby telephone box.

The ominous tone startled him. He glanced at it before looking around. No one was here accept for him, which meant that the phone call was meant for him.

It was common knowledge on the street that if a public telephone rang and you were the only one there, then it was for you. It also meant you were being watched if you had not already agreed to be waiting for the phone to ring.

Aware of each move he was making, Dung stood up slowly and made his way towards the telephone box. His eyes flickered in all directions, hoping to discretely see who was watching him, as his hand drifted slowly towards his wand. The door to the box opened with a sticky squeak as he stepped inside, the smell of urine and alcohol nearly overpowering him. He took the phone off the receiver and brought it gingerly to his ear.

"Hello?"

"You require my services."

The voice that answered him was a deep baritone that seemed to emanate power down the phone line; its tone a mixture of indifference and boredom. Dung couldn't help the shiver that ran down his spine and he decided to keep his answer short.

"Yes."

"Bring your boss to 17 Croyton Road at 1 am. No tricks or you won't see me again. Don't be late." And with that, the voice abruptly hung up, leaving Mundungus to listen to the dialling tone for a moment, before he placed the phone back on it's hook and quickly left the box. Checking his watch, he saw that it was 7 o'clock, meaning he had 6 hours. He walked rapidly down the street and turned the corner before deciding it was safe to apparate back to Headquarters.

**LVLVLVLVLVLV**

"… I give them a month."

"You're kidding right! More like 'till Christmas! Ickle Ronnie and Hermy-kins are much dumber than you think."

"Oi!" Shouted an indignant and red faced Ron Weasley. His twin brothers just grinned at him and before he could tell tem to shut up, their sister, Ginny, butted in.

"I say they get together about a week after term starts." She kept her face expressionless, but they could all see the twitch at the corner of her lips.

"ME AND HERMIONE ARE NOT GOING TO GO OUT WITH EACH OTHER! WE DON'T EVEN LIKE FANCY EACH OTHER!" Ron yelled as his ears burned red with anger. He had jumped to his feet and this is what caused Molly Weasley to interrupt the teasing.

"Ronald, sit down!" She scolded him before turning her gaze to the others, who were snickering to themselves. "And you three! Leave your brother alone! He has enough-"

Her tirade was cut short by the front door of the Headquarters being slammed shut and Sirius' mother's ensuing screams.

"HALF-BREEDS! MUDBLOODS! FILTHY BEATS IN MY HOUSE! GET OUT!"

"AH, SHUT IT YA STUPID COW!"

There was a bang and then the screams were cut off. Mrs Weasley and her children had all of there wands pointed at the kitchen door when Mundungus Fletcher ran into the room, looking rumpled and excited.

"Mundungus! What on earth are you doing?" Mrs Weasley asked in a reprimanding and equally shocked tone as Sirius, Remus and Tonks strode into the room. There wands were also drawn and their eyes quickly scanned the room. Once they saw that there was no danger, they lowered their weapons and sank down into chairs.

"Good to see you, Dung." Sirius greeted in a slightly bored tone. "I'm going to assume that you are the source of that foul stench that has filled the room?"

Dung scowled at him. "It ain't my fault I 'aven't been able to 'ave a wash in a week!" He said indignantly, before shaking his head and looking at them with urgency. "'Sides, we got bigger things to worry 'bout."

"You found him then?" Tonks asked as she leaned towards him a little, wrinkling her nose against the smell of his body odour. No one seemed to notice the four teenagers that were hanging onto their every word.

"Yeah, 'e rang me 'bout half an hour ago"

"He rang you?" Remus asked in a confused way "I thought you didn't have any way of communicating."

"I'll get to that when we get Dumbledore 'ere. 'E wants me to bring me boss to him in a coupla hours."

His words snapped everyone into focus. Remus immediately stood up and sent a Patronous message to Dumbledore, while Molly herded her children out of the room, ignoring their protests.

**LVLVLVLVLVLV**

The door slammed shut behind the Weasley children and they waited, holding their breath, before hearing the warding charms being placed on the door. As one, they groaned.

"I hate it when they do that." Ron grumbled as he folded his arms across his chest. Ginny thought that he looked like a child that had been refused a cookie; she would have laughed at him if she hadn't realised that she probably looked the same.

"What were they talking about, anyway?" Ginny asked as she furrowed her brow. "Who was Mundungus supposed to find?"

Fred and George looked uncharacteristically serious, and the grim looks on their faces made their siblings wary of what they had to say.

"We heard something the other night…" George began slowly.

"Yeah, they forgot to ward the door or something. Anyway, they wanted a way to find Harry Potter."

"They're always looking for ways though. You'd think they'd stop looking by now." Ron rolled his eyes.

"That's what they were going to do." The twins said simultaneously.

"'Were'?"

"Dung came up with an idea…"

"About this man…"

"Who could find anyone. Some underground spy or something."

"So that's where he's been for these past few weeks. He's been looking for that guy. It was the mission Dumbledore sent him on."

"So, he found him then?" Ginny asked slowly. The twins nodded at the same time, but it was Ron who answered.

"He must have done. After all, he did say that someone had rang him."

Ginny and Ron shared a thoughtful look before turning to look at the twins. They all regarded each other, their expressions entirely serious as though they had been told that _they_ were going on a mission. And in a way, they were.

Fred George, Ginny and Ron didn't need to speak in order to come to the same conclusion. They just shared loaded looks and knew that the others had the same feelings as they did.

Somehow, they knew that Harry Potter was going to be found soon.

And they- the Weasley's youngest, the ones who were too 'young' to be included in meetings or the war that was everyone's fight- decided that when he was found, they would be there to welcome him back, to become his friends.

After all, while he may be The-Boy-Who-Lived, he was going to be confused and without anyone. But he wouldn't be alone- they would be there for him.

**LVLVLVLVLVLV**

It was about five minutes later when Albus Dumbledore appeared in a whoosh of emerald green flames. He wasted no time with pleasantries as he set his piercing gaze on the odorous and unkempt man.

"Well?" He asked in a cautious and slightly impatient tone. The people in the room where slightly shocked at the amount of emotion that was layered in their leader's voice; he obviously cared a great deal about the whereabouts of the teenage boy they all missed in some kind of way.

"17 Croyton Road. 1 in the morning'." The short man answered in a gruff voice. Silence reigned as they all pondered the address. Remus looked slightly concerned.

"Croyton Road? Isn't that near that abandoned industrial site? You know, the one with those run down flats and warehouses?"

Mundungus nodded, ignoring the werewolf's consternation. "Aye. A few people still live 'round there."

Dumbledore lowered himself into a chair and stared pensively at the grooves that lined the table. _La Voilee_ wanted to meet him, and he knew he had to tread carefully; one wrong move or action and he would disappear. However, another urgent matter had arose and that too required his immediate attention. None of the others noticed that the venerable Headmaster was not taking part in their discussion as they cradled mugs of tea and pondered over the enigma they had heard about.

"So what did he say?" Molly questioned.

"Nowt much. 'E just wanted me to confirm I was tryna contact him and then 'e told me the address."

"did he sound all… you know… mysterious?" Tonks asked in a hush tone as she leaned in slightly. Remus, Sirius and Mundungus looked at her funnily (though Remus' expression was tinged with jealousy- something that Sirius made a note of.) while Molly also looked intrigued.

"Er…" He began as he exchanged a look with the other guys. "Well, he sounded dead powerful, if that's what ya mean."

"Powerful?" Dumbledore interrupted as his head snapped up to regard the small man. The thief's eyes narrowed in slight confusion.

"Yeah. Like yours does when ya get really angry."

Dumbledore continued to stare at him, his blue eyes piercing through Dung's gaze as though made of ice.

"What are you thinking, Dumbledore?" Sirius inquired with a shrewd look. He had been watching the old man's face carefully, and he did not like the flash of uncertainty that flashed behind the half moon glasses. Silence stretched across the room like an elastic band for a few minutes before Dumbledore spoke.

"We need to gain the help of _La Voilee._" He simply stated as he looked each of them in the eye before looking back down at the table. "Unfortunately, I will be unable to meet him at the time and place that he wishes."

"What-?" He held up his hands at the protests and everyone immediately quieted down.

"Something has come to my attention. It is vital that I see if it is true. If it is, then it would mean that we are further away from winning the war than we originally thought." A chilling silence settled over the house occupants as they realised the seriousness of the situation. None of the had any idea what was going on, but they knew that it would do no good to carry on protesting.

Dumbledore nodded at their silence in approval. "Good. Now, Mundungus, you will go and meet _La Voilee_ with-"

"ME?" Mundungus yelped as he practically jumped in his chair. His basset eyes widened in outrage giving the impression that his face was somewhat melting off his face. Dumbledore merely raised an eyebrow at him and regarded him down his crooked nose.

"Yes, Mr. Fletcher. Forgive me if I am mistaken, but from what you have said it appears that _La Voilee_ specifically requested that YOU would bring me to him. Therefore you would be the most obvious choice to go and explain my apologies and why I could not attend the upcoming meeting." All of this was said with an innocent lint in the old man's voice, causing Mundungus to splutter in response. Sirius was quivering with silent laughter and the others tried to conceal amused smirks. "Now, as I was saying, Mundungus you will go and meet with _La Voilee_ with both Remus and Miss Tonks." The two mentioned nodded their heads in acceptance while the dog animagus sat up straighter in his char, indignant and outraged at not being involved.

"Now wait just one moment, Dumbledore! Why can't I go with them? It's not like we'll be going to a populated area! And maybe seeing an escaped convict will help Mr. Voilee decide to help us." His last statement was accompanied by a devilish, evil grin that had the others exchanging glances warily.

"Sirius, there is always the chance that you will be spotted, no matter how populated one an area is. In addition to that, I do not get the impression that _La Voilee_ is one to be easily intimidated or manipulated." The headmaster stood up and moved towards the fireplace. Just before he stepped into the flames, he turned back and regarded the others one last time.

"I will set up an Order meeting for 1:30 am. This should give you roughly half an hour to persuade him and bring him back here. I wish you luck." And with that, Dumbledore left Grimmauld Place, leaving Molly to start herding Mundungus out of the kitchen with orders to take a bath.

**LVLVLVLVLVLV**

Remus, Tonks and Mundungus stood in the middle of Croyton Road and stared up at number 17. Remus was right in what he said earlier- the area they were in was nothing more than a large, derelict industrial site with a few run down houses and even fewer occupants. Behind them stood abandoned warehouses and old council flats that had ivy creeping up the sides and broken windows. In front of them, the direction they were staring at, was a line of terraced Victorian houses that had seen many better days, and a large stretch of overrun, sickly green grass. A few streetlights let out a dim orange glow as their only light, and number 17 seemed empty.

"This place gives me the creeps." Tonks whispered as she shivered a little and wrinkled her nose I disgust. Remus sent her a grim smile and lay his hand gently on her shoulder.

"Same. Are we sure he's even here? I mean the place looks empty…" He murmured in a low tone.

No sooner had he finished his sentence when the peeling blue door in front of them heaved a great groan, before opening slowly with a gothic creak. No one moved forward to greet them and there was nothing there except for the sudden, dense black opening.

The three stood stock still, their hands clenched around their wands in their pockets, as their eyes darted here and there, trying to find out who had opened the door. Their hearts clamored in their chests as though they had just sprinted a marathon.

"There's no one there. What should we do?" Tonks almost whimpered. She may be a fearless Auror for the (albeit corrupt) Ministry of Magic, but when a door creepily opens for no reason, well, you turn back into a little kid scared by a shadow. Nothing good ever comes from something like that happening.

"I think we should jus' leave an' tell Dumbledore that we tried." Mundungus piped up as he began to edge slowly away. Everyone of his instincts were telling him to get as far away from here as possible, but before he could even move more than two steps away, Remus grabbed him roughly by the scruff of the neck and pushed him back in place beside himself.

"W are going in there." Remus breathed into his ear as he bent closer to the thief. He didn't want anyone but Tonks to hear what he was saying. "Remember what Sirius told u- we go in there and talk to him, and if that doesn't work, then we'll bring him back by force." And with that, the werewolf stood back up right, took a deep breath and then began to stride towards the open door. Tonks and Mundungus reluctantly followed him.

They soon all found themselves in a very dusty and decaying, small hallway. The stairs loomed in front of them, with a room further down and two others on either side of them. There was hardly any carpet, and what patches were there seemed to be rotting away. Cracks were evident in the walls and a quick glance told the Order members that there was no furniture in any of the rooms.

"Hello?" Remus called out as he gingerly took a few steps forward. Silence greeted his call. "Is anybody there?"

This time a voice answered.

"Go up the stairs and into the room on the right hand side." The voice was the same deep tone that Mundungus heard over the phone and it caused all three of them to shiver; Dung hadn't been exaggerating about it. Looking around, they still couldn't see the owner of the voice, and it seemed to echo all around them.

Tonks giggled weakly. "There isn't a chance that this situation is less of a horror film and more 'Rocky Horror', is there?" Remus and Mundungus had no idea what she was talking about, and so looked at her weirdly.

"Never mind." She rolled her eyes slightly, thinking that she _had _to introduce them to muggle films soon.

Odd moment in the past, the three began to walk up the stairs which creaked and moaned under their light footsteps, protesting against the weight. None of them even wanted to go near the banister, with its caked on dust and grime,

Sooner than they wished, they were outside the indicated room. Mundungus and Tonks looked from the door to Remus, who gave a soft sigh before opening the door and leading the way in.

Like the rest of the house, the room was devoid of anything remotely homey. There was no carpet on the floor and the only material in the entire room was a pair of ragged curtains that fluttered in the wind that came from the open window. In the far corner stood a man.

The door swung shut behind the three, causing them to jump. However, they did not take their eyes off the stranger, who wore a black t-shirt and dark, form-fitting jeans with a pair of white high-tops underneath an ankle length, leather trench coat. The coat had an attached hood that completely covered his face, leaving it enshrouded in shadow. Tonks thought he looked like a cross between a normal teenager and Morpheus from the Matrix.

"You require my services." He spoke in a neutral tone after a length of silence in which they regarded each other. When he spoke, it seemed to be aimed solely at Mundungus.

"Y-yes." The petty crook couldn't keep his voice from quivering. The man before him seemed to radiate power, and the way that the clothing clung to his muscles made him think that this entire situation was a _very bad idea_.

"Yet you did not do what I told you." _La Voilee's_ voice dropped several degrees as his words came out as though they were made of stone. Remus gulped as a heavy weight settled in all of their stomachs.

"W-well, yo-you s-see…" Mundungus began to stutter. He was eternally grateful when Remus cut him off and began to speak for him.

"What he means is that our boss send you his greatest apologies. An urgent matter came up that he had to attend to, so he sent us in his place." He explained as he gestured to himself and Tonks. _La Voilee _didn't move or make any indication that he was going to respond and so a think, uncomfortable silence wrapped around the room.

The longer it was quiet, the more the group felt that they were being assessed for their weaknesses. It almost seemed like they were being checked to see if they were worthy enough to warrant more words or conversation.

Eventually, the enigma spoke, using the same cold, harsh pitch that he used before.

"If your boss wished to hire me so badly, then he should have come himself. I do not appreciate being shunted off to his lackeys." The last word was drawled out, reminding them of a certain potions master.

"He will be waiting for us back at headquarters, if you would come with us." Tonks spoke up this time in a timid voice. Her hair was not her normal vibrant pink, but rather a limp brown. _La Voilee_ moved a few steps towards them, until he was parallel to the open window.

"No, I don't think I will."

As soon as those words registered with the Order member, they all drew their wands. However, it was too late as _La Voilee _darted sideways and launched himself out of the window.

Remus leapt towards the opening just in time to see the man land crouched on the grass below with a muted thud, before he stood back up and sprinted down the street in the same movement, his coat billowing out behind him as he did.

"Shit! Apparate to the end of the street, now!" He barked at the others as he twisted and disappeared with a pop.

They all reappeared on the street corner, wands pointed at the racing figure that was moving towards them. _La Voilee_ didn't so much as hesitate as he switched his path and dashed down a side alley. Mundungus, Remus and Tonks didn't even think before they began to run after him, adrenaline pounding through their veins.

"Wait!" The metamorphmagus yelled towards him as they set off. They soon rounded the corner onto the alley and saw that it was a dead end.

"He'll have to stop. There isn't anywhere for him to get to." Tonks panted as they closed in on the man. _La Voilee_ had indeed slowed down, but he still moved swiftly forwards with a purpose.

At the end of the alley was a rusty fire escape that didn't reach the ground and a large blue wheelie bin that was pressed against the blocked wall, and _La Voilee_ seemed to be running right at them.

"What's he…?" Remus muttered with a furrowed brow as he wondered why the man was not slowing down. His thoughts were soon answered as they saw something that knocked them for six.

In a few bounding leaps, _La Voilee_ had jumped on top of the wheelie bin and flung himself at a drainpipe on the wall, clinging to it with just his hands. Only a moment passed before he planted his feet against the wall as leverage and launched himself backwards. He seemed to be suspended in midair for a split second as he twisted his body and reached out, managing to grab onto one of the rungs of the fire escape.

The three of them stumbled to a stop and looked up in astonishment, mouths gaping open as they watched the dark figure pull himself up the stuck ladder and on to metal stairs.

"Bleedin' Merlin and Morgana!" Mundungus breathed out. He had never seen anything like it- it was as though they were chasing a jungle cat, rather than a gang member with unique attributes.

_La Voilee_ was half way up climbing the 9 story flat when Tonks finally snapped out of her shock. With a loud _crack_ she apparate to the top of the broken ladder.

"Come on!" She shouted to the other two as she legged it up the steps after him. Remus spared one glance at the short man beside him, before he apparate after Tonks and followed her up.

Mundungus clasped a hand to his side as he waved up after them. "Yeah… yeah. You go on. I'll be there in a bit." He wheezed as he bent over slightly. "Ooh, it might be time to quit the ol' pipe."

Tonks tripped over the last step and went sprawling over the flat roof. Remus stumbled over her before reaching down and pulling her to her feet. They met each other's gaze for a moment before turning around to see _La Voilee_ leap onto the roof of the next building. The two quickly let go of each other and sped off after him.

"Where's Dung?" Tonks gasped as her feet pounded against the roof.

"No idea." Remus puffed, his legs pumped beneath him. "How does he _do _that?" He murmured incredulously. They had just reached the edge of the building to see a 15 foot gap between the building and a nine storey drop below them.

"Think I'll apparate." Tonks said dryly and Remus nodded before they reappeared on the next roof.

_La Voilee_ was a machine- he never once shifted pace as he flat our sprinted across abandoned roofs, dodging and leaping over the gaps between the buildings and any other obstacle that was in his way. The werewolf and the Auror stumbled and wheezed their way after him, apparating rather than jumping, marvelling at the stunts that were being performed in front of their eyes.

As they neared the end of a line of industrial buildings, Mundungus finally appeared.

"Where the bloody hell have you been?" Tonks yelled at him.

"Told ya I was followin' ya." He shouted back.

"You were supposed to be right with us!"

"Yeah, well-"

"Shut up!" Remus yelled over them. He hadn't once taken his eyes off the man in front of them and he had been trying to come up with a way to get him to stop. "We're not going to be able to catch up with him."

"Well, what do you suggest we do, oh great one?" Tonks snarled at him. He either ignored her attitude or didn't realise how she had spoken to him.

"We'll have to jinx him when he gets on the next roof. It's the only way!"

"But Remus-"

"I'll do it!" Mundungus yelled as he raised his wand and pointed it at the figure that had reached the edge of the roof.

"DUNG, NO!" Tonks and Remus screamed at him as he himself shouted "IMPEDIMENTA"

Time seemed to slow down as they watched the beam of light travel towards the man that had just started to jump towards the next building. They watched in horror as the spell hit him squarely in the back, propelling him forwards and off balancing him.

_La Voilee_ grunted at the impact and flailed his arms as the force of whatever hit him knocked him over in midair. His eyes widened under his hood as he felt gravity begin to pull him down towards the ground, just short of the building's edge. In a blind panic, he stretched out his hands and caught the edge with just the tips of his fingers.

Remus, Tonks and Mundungus rushed to the beginning of the gap and stood sickened at what was happening as they watched the young man's legs scramble for any kind of foothold. His grunts of panic seemed loud against their eardrums as he struggle. They seemed frozen, unable to do anything but watch.

Sweat dripped off his face as his breaths came in out in sharp gasps and his eyes darted down to the gaping gap below him.

His feet scraped against the wall one last time as his fingers finally slipped off the edge.

"NO!" Tonks screamed as they saw his fingers give way and he began to fall. Remus grabbed her as she lunged forwards to help _La Voilee_ as he fell like a stone, writhing in midair as he tried to find something to hold on to. His face scrapped against the rough walls as his limbs smacked against the jutting out windowsills, knocking him off kilter and propelling him downwards before he finally hit the ground with a sickening thud. He didn't move.

Silence reigned as they stared at the sprawled figure below; Remus and Mundungus, white faced as tears streaked down Tonks' face.

"We-we have to help him!" She hysterically sobbed as she clawed at Remus' restraining arms.

"I know. I know. I'll get us down there. Hold on tightly." He whispered to her before spinning on the spot, Mundungus copying his action.

No sooner had they landed back on their feet did Tonks fall to her knees besides the man, not minding the pool of blood that was beginning to soak into her robes.

"It's not too bad, not too bad. Mainly just a head wound… maybe a few broken bones… not too bad…" She rambled as her hands flew over him, detecting that most of the blood she could see was coming from his head. "Let me just move this hood…"

Her hands lifted up and moved the leather material, exposing a pale, blooded face beneath a shock of jet black hair. She gasped, as did the men behind her.

"Fucking hell!" Remus cursed in utter shock as he stared at the face on the ground, taking in the features that he had not seen in fifteen years.

The features that greatly resembled his dead best friend.

The features of one Harry James Potter.

**LVLVLVLVLVLV**

**A/N: Well, to start with, what did you think?**

**This idea came from reading to much fan fiction, some rock and heavy metal music and playing Assassin's Creed II. Some people have done some stuff like this, but I have not found many and I've always found it interesting to see how Harry could have ended up if he had grown up on the streets. It is my belief that the Dursley's would have thought good riddance to bad rubbish if Harry was ever to run away or if they were to basically abandon him and, personally, I think Harry would have preferred it.**

**The name Tony Leandro is merely a bad made-up mafia like name that I created. If there just so happens to be a Tony Leandro that is reading this, then I am very sorry dude and I mean nothing by it. Also, If you have a neighbour called Tony Leandro, then don't panic- he's probably not an evil gang lord with a bad name. You may want to check it out anyway just to make sure, though….. I will not be held responsible!**

**Croyton Road, again I made up. If there is such a place, then wow, that is a big coincidence.**

**Gavin… you get the message- made up… big coincidence… etc, etc.**

'_**La Voilee**_**' literally means 'The Veiled' in French. I got it off an online translator, so sorry if it is not correct in anyway.**

**Now, I have absolutely no idea where I am going with this story, and so I also have no idea how often I can update it. This was merely an idea that won't leave me alone and was bouncing around in my skull screaming "Pick me! Pick me! Pick me!" so I'm sorry if you actually liked what you've just read and I don't update often.**

**TO ALL THOSE WHO ARE READING BACK TO THE PAST: I'm so so sorry for not updating in a while, but these past few weeks have been hell. Blood tests, mental breakdowns, more family crisis', a messed up timetable from school and me basically running around like a headless chicken has caused me not to update. Add this to the fact that my laptop deleted what I had written, and I was not a happy bunny. No one really wants to hear me ramble on and give a load of excuses, so I am going to shut up about them now. I am currently half way through rewriting my chapter, and then I need to send it to my fantabulous beta and then I will update it again. Please give me about another week, then you can all gather your pitchfork and torches and chase me like the village monster. A good enough deal? I think so…**

**Thanks for reading!**

**LilMissMoonRay.**

**P.S. I have no beta for this, so sorry for any mistakes!**


	2. Awakening

**SEE AUTHORS NOTE AT THE BOTTOM**

**WARNINGS: **Possible dark images, AU, possible OOC-ness, Possible dark situations, Swearing, mentions of drugs (no actual taking, just names), mentions of alcohol, Powerful!Harry

**RATING: **M (as a precaution only and due to possible dark images.)

**SUMMARY: **Harry Potter disappeared when he was just 5 years old. Now, when the second war is starting up in earnest Dumbledore is desperate to find the Boy-Who-Lived, going so far as to seek underground connections to hire the perfect man for the task. What he doesn't know is that Harry grew up on the streets, learning any skills he could to survive, until eventually he became known as _La Voilee_- an unknown enigma that sets fear into the hearts of anyone who gets in his way and the very man that Dumbledore wishes to hire… Powerful!Harry.

**ADDITIONAL WARNING NOTES: **Mundungus' speech is not written in proper English. Just read it as it's spelt and sounds and you should get the jist. Any problems, let me know.

Also, Harry will be very OOC and will behave differently than he does in cannon. If that bothers you, then I am sorry but you must remember that he spent about a decade on the streets- that's bound to change a person! Plus there are things about him and his past that won't be revealed until later on….

Yes, I will be using modern technology such as mobile phones, ipods and all that jazz simply because I want to and it makes it easier for me not to have to keep on looking back to see what was around in the corresponding book times. Again, if this bothers you, sorry.

**DISCLAIMER: **Anything recognizable either belongs to J.K Rowling, or is otherwise a huge coincidence. The only thing I own is the idea of the plot line and a now empty bag of cookies : (

**LISTENING TO: **Who's Laughing Now- Jessie J

**LVLVLVLVLVLV**

_Her hands lifted up and moved the leather material, exposing a pale, blooded face beneath a shock of jet black hair. She gasped, as did the men behind her._

"_Fucking hell!" Remus cursed in utter shock as he stared at the face on the ground, taking in the features that he had not seen in fifteen years._

_The features that greatly resembled his dead best friend._

_The features of one Harry James Potter._

They all froze.

'_This could not be possible! Harry couldn't be La Voilee… he just couldn't!' _

That was the thought that was running through all of their heads, though they had each gasped for a different reason.

Mundungus and Tonks only knew what Harry Potter looked like from looking at old pictures of James and a picture of a green eyed baby. Other than that, they knew next to nothing about the young saviour. The fact that Remus had gasped- and even worse, _swore- _when he saw the broken body of the young man simply confirmed what they had suspected. They had chased Harry Potter across rooftops, watched him perform gravity defying stunts and show amazing agility. Plus, in Mundungus' case, they had thrown him off the roof of a nine story building.

Remus felt as though he had seen a ghost. The bloodied man that lay before him was the spitting image of his father- the only differences were the slight shape of the nose and brow and the fact that Harry's normally-handsome features were more angular than his father's had been. The werewolf's heart hammered in his chest as he ached to reached down and smooth down the messy hair and touch his cheek, just to make sure that he was real. But he couldn't do that, not when he was injured and covered in dirt and blood.

"Tonks," he barked at the young Auror, who jumped at the sudden sound. "How injured is he?"

Tonks didn't even think to argue or reprimand him for his rudeness; the dark and panicked look that graced his face was enough to have her scrambling in her robes for her wand. Turning back to the young man, she waved her wand over him and muttered some spells under her breath while Mundungus hung back a little from them.

Her sharp intake of air caused Remus to drop to his knees and lean towards her. "What? What is it?"

Her eyes were filled with tears as she answered him. "He's cracked open his skull, bruised practically every inch of his body, fractured his wrist, broke his left leg, bruised his kidneys and almost punctured his liver." Her distraught gaze turned to Remus. "I don't know how he's even alive! He shouldn't have survived that fall, really. Normal people wouldn't!"

Normally watching the tear tracks run down the younger woman's face would have him wiping them off in concern, but the knowledge that Harry was lucky to even be alive right now seemed to have frozen that gear of his brain. Instead, he could only give her a brief glance before he turned to the thief.

"Dung, get back to headquarters, now! Tell Dumbledore to contact Madam Pomphrey and bring his pensieve. We will bring Harry along in a moment. Don't mention anything about tonight until we get there!" Mundungus quailed under the fierce and steely look of the wolf and cracked away without question.

"Remus," Tonk's voice cracked as she whispered the word. She cleared her throat and started again, though it didn't really make a difference. "Remus, you need to calm down. I know a little of how you feel, and getting stressed and upset like you are is not going to do any good." Remus put his head down in his hands as he took a deep, shaky breath. Tonks was right; he had to calm down. The anger he was feeling, the confusion and the upset was only bringing the wolf closer to the surface, and that was not something the situation needed.

He was jolted out of his shock a little as he felt Tonks' slender hands lift his face up so she could see into his eyes. Her expression was soft, despite the shakiness that quivered her limbs and the wetness of her cheeks and Remus had never thought she had looked more beautiful. He snorted to himself- here he was lusting after a young woman while Harry was potentially dying. _What was wrong with him?_

"It'll be okay, Rem," She whispered, shocking him with the nickname. "We'll get him back to Headquarters and Poppy will fix him up, he'll be okay." She gave him a watery smile that warmed his heart. He nodded weakly and waved his wand to conjure up a stretcher. Tonk's helped him to levitate Harry carefully and slowly onto it, before gently slipping his hood back over his face. The Auror then placed a quill on Harry's chest, waited until they both had a finger on it and activated the portkey back to Grimmauld Place.

**LVLVLVLVLVLV**

Everyone within the kitchen of number 12 Grimmauld Place was waiting on tenterhooks. Mundungus Fletcher had appeared less than five minutes ago, shouting in a panicked voice that they needed Poppy and Dumbledore's pensieve right now. He refused to explain why, which sent everyone on edge. Something had gone wrong.

Sirius was even more nervous than everyone else. After all, his best friend and his younger cousin had gone off to meet a very dangerous person who was practically unknown to most people. Then Dung had created a wide panic and now Sirius was fearing for their lives. What if they had angered _La Voilee_ and he had lashed out? What if his best friend or his cousin were fighting for their lives because of the enigma? His heart was beating a mile a minute and his leg was bouncing in nervous energy. His eyes flickered everywhere, taking in the babbling crowd and the frazzled faces. They were all worried- even Dumbledore looked confused and upset.

Before he could contemplate or register anything else, a slight popping noise sounded out in the crowded kitchen as Remus, Tonks and a stretcher appeared.

All noise disappeared as the occupants of the room stopped and stared. There was an unconscious man on the stretcher but none of them could make out any clear features due a thick red liquid. Remus and Tonks didn't spare anyone a greeting or glance as they gently lay the stretcher on the worn and grooved table. Poppy was the first one to snap out of her shock as she rushed forwards to help her new patient. Sirius was only vaguely aware as Tonks listed off the numerous injuries she had already found; to him it didn't matter. For some inexplicable reason, he had the urge to rush forwards and check to see if the person lying as still as stone was who he wished it was. But before he could act on this impulse, Dumbledore spoke up.

"Remus? What happened? Who is this?" His voice caused everyone else to remain quiet as its harsh tone hovered over them.

"It's….. it's… this is…." The werewolf struggled to complete his sentence; he wanted so badly to tell them it was Harry, that they had hurt him and that he was the one that they wished to meet with, but the words just wouldn't come out. He couldn't stop himself from babbling like a fool as he looked around at all of the faces in the room, not really seeing their expressions but wishing for their forgiveness.

Tonks didn't say anything either. She was too busy helping Poppy with the broken boy on the table and had blocked out all of the noise that crashed into her ears. It was something that she had picked up from her Auror training- sometimes you had to focus on what was most urgent instead of focusing on everything around you with 'constant vigilance'. Though she abided by Moody's words most of the time, her attitude and way of sorting out what was the highest priority in a situation had kept her alive more often than not.

So she didn't help Remus answer the question, nor did she try and reassure her cousin. Instead, she concentrated all of her energy into helping Poppy heal his head wound after they had removed his hood again.

Mundungus merely shifted his gaze between the prone body and the door to the kitchen as if to reassure himself that there was indeed an escape route. A mantra went through his head that caused him to tremble slightly: '_I knocked 'im off a roof, I knocked 'im off a roof, I knocked 'im off a roof…._'

Remus' babbling and half sentences were cut off by a ragged gasp that erupted out of Sirius' mouth.

People turned towards the animagus with their wands in their hands, but all they found was an astonished man that stared at the boy on the table with his mouth hanging open.

"Sirius? What is it?" Dumbledore's voice was sharp as he questioned the younger man. His aged face was marred by a frown when the ex convict didn't answer him and instead stared at his best friend who just stared sadly into the shocked grey eyes.

Sirius let out a strangled kind of sob as he stumbled forward until he was standing above the place where the injured person's head was. He looked down at the messy black hair, at the oh-so-familiar features, at the blood that seemed to have spread everywhere and, finally, at the angry red, lightning bolt scar that stood out the most.

"Harry?" He whimpered as his hand ghosted forward slightly.

Everyone and everything went still, though none of them noticed. Suddenly, all eyes were locked onto the unmoving body and the two witches surrounding him.

"Harry?" Molly Weasley whispered into the silence. Her eyes were wide and one of her hands was clasped over her heart as she looked beseechingly at everyone, hoping one of them would explain what was happening. "As in Harry Potter? The Boy-Who-Lived?"

This time Remus found that he could actually talk, though it was with a sombre expression.

"It is Harry Potter. As in The-Boy-Who-Lived and…" He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "_La Voilee._"

Every head snapped towards the werewolf.

"Excuse me?" Dumbledore whispered, looking as though he needed a good sit down and a strong brandy.

Remus grimaced. "Harry is _La Voilee._"

"Impossible!" Arthur gasped as he stared at Harry. "It just….. No…"

"He's telling the truth." Moody said gruffly. His blue eye was swinging around madly, still looking for concealments or intruders. Before anyone else could comment further, Poppy interrupted.

"Never mind who he is or isn't." She snapped at them as she and Tonks began to pull off his coat and soaked t-shirt. "How did he end up this injured?"

Mundungus shifted nervously as Remus once again answered. "Well, he refused to come with us back here, so we started to pursue him when he ran off-"

"Great Merlin!" Poppy yelped as they finally removed Harry's clothing. The Order's attention was once again diverted back to the boy and their eyes popped out by what they saw.

The exposed torso of _La Voilee_- Harry, whoever- seemed to made up of strong and prominent muscles and it looked as though not one ounce of fat could be found on him. That was not what shocked the others though (but a few of the younger women members did file that image away).

The boy's chest and stomach were covered in scrapes and a wide variety of old, ragged scars. Short, straight lines, long, jagged slashes and what seemed to be burn marks covered his torso, making it a gruesome map of unknown horrors.

Poppy instantly set to work repairing the recent scrapes but she could do nothing about the scars.

Sirius and Remus looked ready to collapse. They couldn't move their eyes away from what they deemed a wreckage as their hearts practically broke with a tsunami of grief and sadness. The other men in the room looked slightly sick as the girls' eyes filled with tears. Only two people reacted differently; Dumbledore and Mad-Eye.

Dumbledore had closed his eyes to escape the sight. What on earth had the young man been through in order to obtain the inordinate amount of old wounds? How had he come to be the enigma they were searching for? What had happened to Harry Potter?

Dumbledore had a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that the fate the young saviour had suffered so far was partially his fault; after all, he had left him with his relatives, where he had runaway or been kidnapped or something similar. If he had given Harry to a wizarding family such as the Weasleys, if he had looked into Sirius' capture more and gotten him freed, would this have happened?

Mad-Eye look was more calculating than anything. For someone to have obviously gone through so much and still come out on top was some sort of miracle. Moody knew this and had often been told something like that himself after all of the battle wounds he had gone through. An instinct of his that had led to him becoming the best Auror to ever be employed by the British Ministry told him that this boy- young as he may be- was not someone to be messed with and was someone he definitely wanted on his side. This instinct told him that Harry could be someone truly great, as long as he stayed on the right side. The only question was if these scars had resulted in a bitter and vengeful man, or a consummate warrior?

"Miss Tonks," Poppy spoke out once more as she frowned at a strange wound that could be found on the left side of Harry's abdomen. "Look at this. Do you recognise what could have caused it?"

Tonks leaned closer to examine the wrinkled, circular marking that looked only days old. It had an angry red ring around the outline and seemed to be more pink than the other scars. Her eyebrows rose once she had figured out what it was.

"This looks like a bullet wound!" She exclaimed as she stared at the mark.

"A what?" Sirius questioned with a bewildered look on his face. "What's a bullet? Is it serious?"

Tonks nodded a yes. "Muggles sometimes use weapons that are made of metal. They call them 'guns' and they are used to shoot cylindrical bits of metal called bullets at their enemies. A bullet can fatally wound someone and, if aimed at the right place, can kill someone instantly."

"Muggles use these dangerous things?" Emmeline gasped in horror. It sounded incredibly painful to her, and she didn't know how the non-magical community found it acceptable or necessary to use such a thing against their enemies. She didn't even regard the fact that her wand can cause much more devastation than a gun, nor did she acknowledge the fact that she knew practically nothing about muggles and what enemies they may have.

"From what you have said, I would imagine that it takes a while for these sort of wounds to heal." Poppy continued the conversation as though it had never been interrupted.

"Yes," replied Tonks. "Normally a person would end up in the hospital and it would take months to properly heal." Poppy looked up with her with an unreadable look.

"Are you sure it takes that long?" She asked in a weird tone of voice. Tonks looked at her face with a puzzled look.

"Yes. Why do you ask?"

"My diagnostic spell tells me that this wound is hours old. Eight at least."

"That's not possible!" Tonks gasped as she waved her wand over the body again.

None of the order members in the room noticed that Harry Potter's eyes suddenly snapped open at that point.

None except for Sirius.

His grey eyes widened as a pair of emerald green ones locked on him for a short second.

"Har-" His cry of the young man's name was cut off as the boy sprang into action.

The people that surrounded him had no warning and no chance of stopping him as Harry swung his unbroken leg up above his head to connect it with the face of the man that was staring down at him.

Sirius let out a cry of pain as the boot cladded foot collided with his nose, instantly snapping the bone and breaking the cartilage causing a spurt of blood to spray out. He stumbled backwards and his hands came up to his face.

Harry carried on with the momentum of his swing until he had flipped off the kitchen table. A microsecond passed before he spun around and brought his knee up to slam it into the man's stomach. Sirius only had time to double over as the oxygen was flung from his lungs before a heavy fist collided with the side of his head, causing him to drop quickly to the ground.

Harry didn't even watch the man fall as he turned around again, adopting a defensive fighting stance as he faced the other people in the room, all of whom had their wands trained on him.

Harry's green eyes narrowed as he quickly devised a plan to disarm or disable them all and make his escape from wherever he was. He counted 23 people in all including the man on the floor- 14 men and 9 women. They were spread out in cloisters around the table he had just been lying on. He grimaced internally; he would have to go over or around the table in order to eliminate them all. Luckily, the door was close to him, only a few feet to his left. However, a sandy/grey haired man with scars on his face, an older lady in a white uniform, a heavily scarred man with a weird eye and a woman with blue hair blocked his way. No matter, he could easily take the older woman and the slimmer man looked weaker than the others- only the unusual ones would be a problem.

Before he could strike out though, a stern voice that held wisdom and power emanated through the room.

"Enough!" Dumbledore firmly said. He had his wand out like everyone else, but he held it close to his side and not pointed at Harry. He spoke to his Order members, but his eyes remained on Harry as he took in his stance; the younger man looked like a predator coiled to spring in order to take care of a threat. His defensive stance was confident and self-assured and despite the many injuries covering his body, the only indication he gave that he was in pain was the slightest tightening of his jaw that most would not see.

He pushed away his awe, apprehension and guilty feelings as he once again addressed the order members.

"Put away your wands, if you please. I do not believe that Mr Potter means us any harm as long as we show him we mean no violence."

It amazed the old wizard that Harry didn't even start or seem bothered by the fact that he had called him by his last name- he just stayed in the same position and watched with a careful and hawk-like eye as the members of the Order slowly put away their wands.

"Now," Dumbledore continued in a serene tone of voice. "Why don't we all sit down and introduce ourselves? Then we can get right on to business."

Again, ever so slowly, the Order members obeyed their orders and sat down around the table. The stretcher that Harry had previously been laying on had been banished away and the only open spaces were at the opposite end of the table from Dumbledore, directly in front of Harry.

Remus slowly and carefully walked towards Sirius, showing with calculated movements that he wasn't going to attack Harry or come near him; regardless of his actions, the young man still tensed as he came close.

"Come on Sirius," He murmured the severely dazed marauder. "Lets sit you down and get Poppy to give you some ice." Sirius mumbled some nonsense to himself as Remus pulled him bodily to his feet and guided him into his seat. Emmeline, who was sat next to him, grimaced as she took in the blood splattered face and dark bruise that was already beginning to form on the side of his head.

Harry still hadn't moved nor did he show any remorse for what he had done to the older man.

"Harry, please sit down. We truly mean you no harm- we merely wish to speak with you." Dumbledore calmly said as he gestured to the seat at the opposite head end of the table. Harry clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes even more as he stared hard at the old man. His pose never changed and after a few moments he spoke.

"My clothes." He said coldly. Quite a few people twitched at his voice; it was just as Mundungus had described it- strong, firm, deep and practically dripping in power. Snape tensed even more so than the others. Only two people he knew had voice that sounded like that and could get the same reaction out of him: the Dark Lord and Dumbledore himself.

"I'm afraid that your original t-shirt had to be thrown away, so we will have to get you a new one-" Dumbledore began to explain but he was cut off by a voice that held a hint of anger and impatience.

"Then give me my coat."

His tone broke no argument and even Dumbledore had nothing to say against the demand. The Headmaster nodded his head once to Tonks, who swished her wand and levitated the dirty coat towards the half naked teen, guessing correctly that he would not want anyone to approach him.

Harry seemed to completely disregard the fact that the coat had moved on its own as he finally relaxed his pose and plucked it out of the air. He frowned deeply at the blood and dirt that caked its leather before gracefully pulling it on.

Dumbledore noticed that Molly had taken out her wand underneath the table and aimed it at Harry. He did not stop her as for a moment later, the coat was so clean it looked brand new.

Harry, once his coat was on and left hanging open, stepped swiftly forward and dropped casually in the empty seat. He leaned back, slouched down a bit and swung his legs up to rest on the table, crossing them and only wincing minutely in pain. Molly frowned at his disrespect and Snape curled his lips into a sneer- looked like the brat was just like his father.

Dumbledore didn't seem to mind how Harry acted. "Now, Harry, let me introduce ourselves. My name is-"

"I know who you are, Albus Dumbledore." Harry interrupted distractedly as he rummaged around in his pocket for something.

Dumbledore blinked as the rest of the members exchanged shocked looks.

"I see. May I ask how you know my name?" He enquired curiously, his head tilted to the side, his hands steepled and his eyes twinkling.

"Not really." He causally replied. He was still searching in his pockets and so did not notice the scandalised looks that crossed over many people's faces, such as the teachers, Molly, Emmeline and Hestia Jones. Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Arthur, Bill and Charlie looked slightly amused at the lad's behaviour.

"Why you-" Snape began to hiss, but Dumbledore stopped him with a look.

"Very well, Harry. Since you know me, is it safe to assume that you know that we are-"

"The 'esteemed' Order of the Phoenix? Yes." He pulled out a blue plastic lighter and set it down on the table before returning to his rummaging. Sirius raised an eyebrow in question to Remus, who shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay then. That makes my job much easier." Dumbledore said in his usual jovial tone. Minerva looked sideways at him with slight glare; how could he just let Harry disregard him and the rest of them like that? Dumbledore ignored her. "Let me introduce the rest of the order then.

"To my left is Professors McGonagall, Sprout and Flitwick, Aurors Alastor Moody and Kingsley Shaklebolt, Aberforth, Elphias Doge, Mundungus Fletcher, Hestia Jones, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. To your left is Nymphadora Tonks, Poppy Pomphrey, Emmeline Vance, Arabella Figg-"

"Mrs Figg?" Harry looked up to lock eyes with his batty old neighbour and babysitter. A sliver of surprise was visible in his green eyes as he quirked an eyebrow at her and snorted. "Figures."

"It's nice to see you again, Harry." She smiled uncertainly as she tried to keep her voice nice and friendly as she had done when she had looked after him a few times. He ignored her and went back to searching an inside pocket of his coat.

"Ah, you remember her." Dumbledore commented with a smile before carrying on with his introductions. "Then there is Dedalus Diggle, Charlie Weasley, Fleur Delacour, Bill, Arthur and Molly Weasley and Professor Snape."

Harry had just pulled out a square packet when Snape's name was called. He once again looked up and found the sneering and defiant face of Hogwart's potions professor.

After a moment of intense staring, Harry actually grinned, showing off his perfectly straight teeth.

"So you are _the _Severus Snape?" Asked Harry rhetorically before letting out a quick shout of laughter, which startled a few people around the table. "Well, this is an honour. I applaud you, I really do."

Snape momentarily looked surprised as he listened to what Harry was saying to him, before adopting his sneer again. What was the child on about? Why would he applaud him? As much as he wished the child to have been acting arrogantly, Severus had not detected a single hint of sarcasm in his words. Sirius, Tonks and practically most of the table looked incredulously between the two- none of them had much love for the greasy haired dungeon bat.

"What do you mean, Potter?" He snarled back.

Harry smirked as he opened the packet and pulled out a cigarette. Molly immediately sat up straighter as she stared at the offending object in the Boy-Who-Reappeared's hand. Before she could say anything, however, Harry answered the question.

"Your skills are worthy of an award- you have the Dark Army completely hoodwinked!"

Everyone around the table except for Harry (who still had his feet crossed on the surface) sat up straighter and Dumbledore set his penetrative gaze onto the young man who was acting so casually.

"What do you mean by 'the Dark Army'?" He shortly said.

Harry didn't answer; he merely gave him a mysterious smile before placing the cigarette between his lips and lighting it with the blue lighter.

Molly reacted and spoke out as though it was a reflex reaction to anything she disapproved of.

"Harry, dear, you really shouldn't be smoking. I suggest you put that out." She said in a mothering tone.

Harry's demeanour instantly changed. Her lowered his legs off the table and leaned forwards, resting his forearms on the table top. His eyes narrowed again into an icy, cold glare as his lips curled upwards in contempt around his lit cigarette. He deliberately and slowly took a long drag from the cigarette before blowing out the smoke. He then pointed a condescending finger towards Molly as he spoke through gritted teeth.

"Listen here, lady. You have no right to tell me what to do, so don't assume that you can! You know nothing about me and I know nothing about you; quite frankly, I wouldn't want to get to know you if you act like this all of the time." He snarled at her, causing her to flinch back from him. The Weasley men all looked angry at his words, but Harry carried on before any of them could speak. "Now, I've had a pretty shitty day- I got shot at by a drug dealer who owes money, then get cornered by three of your lot and thrown off a building before being kidnapped against my will and practically stripped naked. So if I want a fag, I am going to have one, no matter what comes out of your prissy little mouth!"

There was a moment of stunned silence before the Weasley's erupted. They stood up menacingly and yelled abuse towards Harry as they defended their mother and wife. Snape sat back and watched with amusement- mother-hen Molly had been knocked down a peg and the arrogant Brat-Who-Falls-Off-Roofs was being ripped into. It was bliss for the potions master.

Remus frowned heavily as did most people. Sirius pursed his lips in a straight line, torn; He agreed to some extent what Harry had said- after all, Molly was a little controlling and seemed to like telling people what to do- but she didn't deserve to be spoken to like that.

None of these reactions were surprising, but the one that shocked Dumbledore, Moody and the professors the most was Harry's.

Harry stared at Molly after his little tirade and watched as she flinched backwards before staring down at her lap. Her lips were trembling and he was sure that she was holding back tears.

He looked her as a whole and a slight pain ran through his chest: Her slightly wild red hair covered her friendly face partially as she look down at her delicate hands that were laced on her lap. She was plump in a very motherly way and she seemed to radiate a loving, caring and nurturing nature.

His stomach twisted horribly with guilt and grief as one thought flashed through his head: '_She reminds me exactly of Rosie._'

The second he understood that one thought, Harry instantly changed from the angry, defiant and dangerous enigma, to a truly sorry, guilty and deeply saddened teenage boy.

He sighed deeply as he briefly looked down and closed his eyes. Opening them again, he took the cigarette out of his mouth and ground it down onto a dark groove in the table, effectively putting it out with a slight sizzle. He then place the now put out cigarette back into the packet along with his lighter and chucked them into the middle of the table.

The sound of the packet hitting the table again caused everyone to fall silent as they looked from the cardboard box to the one who had thrown it. Harry had leaned forward in his chair once again, but this time his face held remorse, not anger.

"Molly?" He prompted quietly. Molly sniffled a couple of times before looking up with red eyes as a few faint tear tracks. The younger man's lips twitched downwards slightly as shame flowed through him.

"Molly," He began again. "I am truly sorry for what I have just said. I had no right to say such things to you and what I said was uncalled for. You were merely concerned. Yes, maybe you could have asked me a little differently, but that doesn't justify what I said. I hope you can forgive me."

Everyone was stunned into silence again as they heard the soft tone that practically sang with sincerity. He genuinely did mean what he had said, that was clear to everyone, and he now seemed like a completely different person. As far had they had all known him- which, in reality, was only about half an hour- he had been aloof, distant and slightly rude to them all. Now he seemed concerned, polite and a softer version of himself.

Molly knew instantly that the boy was telling the truth and that he honestly was sorry about the way he had reacted to her words. She agreed with him that maybe she could have expressed herself differently but she couldn't deny that what he had said to her hurt. She had only tried to be nice to him and friendly- after all, if she had caught one of her children smoking, she would have bent them over her knee.

She looked into his eyes and saw the concern and remorse in them as she nodded at him and smiled a little.

"Thank you, Molly. I am sorry." He said as he smiled gently at her. _'Rosie, you would be proud.'_

"You're forgiven, Harry." She verbally replied this time before putting on a mock-stern voice. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again, young man!"

Harry chuckled before giving her a wink.

Harry's new attitude was enough to calm the Weasley males down, but they still maintained steady glares towards the young man, none of which actually affected him.

Harry turned back to the old Headmaster, his features now re-schooled to look impassive.

"So, you must have kidnapped me for a reason after I refused to come back with your lackeys," His normal powerful tone was back and Tonks, Remus and Mundungus looked offended at being referred to as 'lackeys'. "What did you require my services for?"

Dumbledore regarded Harry for a moment before replying. "Originally we wanted to hire your alter-ego _La Voilee_ to help us find one Mr. Harry James Potter."

Harry blinked at the old man for a moment before he threw his head back and let out a deep shout of laughter.

The members of the Order watched in puzzled amusement as the teen roared with laughter, tears streaming down his cheeks as his body heaved with the movement. It took him a few moments to calm himself down, but when he did he looked back at them all with a grin.

"Ah," He chuckled slightly. "I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Now, I guess that you want me to explain what happened to me?"

"If you would, Mr Potter," It was Minerva that answered this time, her usual expression of stoic sternness firmly in place. "A lot of people have been looking for you over the years."

Harry nodded a couple of times at her to show he understood and respected what they had done. A calculating look was placed on his face for a moment before he turned back to Dumbledore and made a request with an expression and tone that broke no argument.

"If I am to tell you my life story, I wish for the other people in this house to be present."

Harry was stared at once again.

Kingsley had watched the young man throughout the entire conversation and had seen the way that he remained completely alert even though he outwardly appeared casual and relaxed. This last request however, the Auror couldn't figure out. How on earth had the boy known that there were four teenagers in the house with them?

"No," Molly immediately protested as she fixed a stern look on the boy. "Absolutely not. The children cannot be involved in Order business, Harry! They are too young!"

Harry looked into her eyes and sent her a charming smile. "Moll-Boll," He called her. The people around the table watched in amusement as she lit up like a Christmas tree at the random nickname. "The 'children', as you call them, will find out anyway whether they are at this meeting, they listen and eavesdrop on us because you've forgotten to put your protective wards up or if I tell them myself."

The teachers and the Aurors exchanged startled glances as they realised that they had indeed not put up their usual privacy charms. Molly glared at the younger lad, clearly not quite convinced, though Sirius could detect a weakening in her resolve.

"and it'd be nice to have some people around my age in here; it's a little intimidating being surrounded by adults." He ended with a hopeful and slightly sheepish look on his face. Snape snorted in disbelief as he watched the display before him; the boy was clearly manipulating her, anyone could see that! And if he was actually intimidated by them all, he would happily eat the mutt's shoes.

Amazingly, Molly's face softened. "Oh you poor thing. You must feel so out of place." She cooed to him. "I don't like it, but I think you could do with the company. Let me just get them."

And with that, Molly Weasley swept out of the room with a small smile on her face, while the rest of the Order stared gob smacked at a smirking teenager.

A moment passed before Sirius let out a bark like laughter, wincing slightly at the pain in his nose as he did so. "You've got talent, kid."

"Cheers," He answered with the smirk firmly in place. "Sorry about the nose and stuff, by the way."

Sirius waved it off as his pride reared its head. He would have replied verbally, but Molly decided to walk back into the room at that moment with four teenagers in tow.

Harry watched as the other people he had detected in the house filed in after the motherly woman. Two of them were clearly twins as everything about them was identical; from their mischievous blue eyes, their scattering of freckles and their identical smirks, to the way they strode into the room with confidence.

The other male boy that walked into the room was taller then the twins and had gangly limbs. His red hair flopped messily over his face and he sent an awkward smile at Harry who nodded his head back.

The last teen to walk into the room was the one that caught Harry's eye the most.

The girl was clearly the younger sister of the others as she had the same red hair as them all; however, her hair was of such a fiery red that Harry half thought it was made from the curling flames of a fire. Her chocolate brown eyes held a sparkle to them that was like her brothers, but they also held acceptance and kindness just like her mother's. Her skin was smoothly pale with a slight smattering of freckles around her nose that only added to her beauty and her slight stature was petite, yet she held herself with a strength that he immediately admired.

Her eyes met his as she smiled brightly at him and Harry couldn't help but return the gesture as she came in and sat beside him in a newly conjured chair.

"Hello. I'm Ginny, Ginny Weasley." She introduced herself as she held out her hand to him. Her voice was like music and he smile softened as he grasped her smaller hand in his.

"I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

"Nice to meet you, Harry. I hope you'll like it here." She grinned once more as she let go of her hand and turned to introduce the other teenagers.

'_As long as you are here,_' Harry thought to himself. '_I'm sure I will do._'

**LVLVLVLVLVLV**

**A/N: Tah-dah! How was it? Good? Bad? Great? So horrible you wish you could forget you ever read it? Haha, let me know!**

**I told you it would be while in between updates for this story, so I'm not going to apologise for it. I am making this up as I go, whereas with my other story I have a clear idea of where it is heading.**

**Now, I feel I need to apologise for the Remus/Tonks fluff at the beginning. Personally I thought it went well, but I can see a few people not liking it because it was supposed to be a serious moment and I kinda created a romantic moment between the two. So, I apologise if you didn't agree with it.**

**THIS IS NOT A HARRY/GINNY SOULBONDING STORY! IT NEVER WILL BE, EITHER. They simply clicked with each other straight away and instantly formed a relationship. Will they get together? Yup. I am a die-hard Harry/Ginny shipper and I mostly go by cannon pairings, unless it is Neville/Luna :P**

**Random moment, but have you ever noticed that Grimmauld Place sounds like 'grim old place', which perfectly describes number 12? This boggled my mind and made me laugh when I wrote it down and realised haha.**


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